If you have just been diagnosed with cancer, you might find yourself wondering how it will be treated and what you can expect from such treatments. This can be extremely worrisome for many people because of the amount of unknowns they are facing at the moment. To help you get a little prepared for your upcoming appointment to discuss cancer treatment with an oncologist, you will want to read through the following:
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy can be used as the sole cancer treatment or it can be used in addition to other treatments. This type of treatment is a fairly common one and it not only works to destroy the living cancer cells in the body, but stops them from returning. This is important because a big fear among cancer patients is that their cancer will return.
Surgery
Surgery is a good option for types of cancer that is contained to one location, such as the lungs. If the cancer has spread to many areas of the body, surgery alone might not be the best option. While it might still be used to remove cancer from some areas of the body, your oncologist might want you to go through radiation therapy or something else.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is usually the treatment a lot of people automatically think of when they think of cancer treatments. It is a popular choice because it does provide good results, but it is important to know that it can really put a toll on the body. While undergoing chemotherapy, you might deal with a lot of nausea, aches and pains, sleepiness, and possible hair loss. This treatment can be administered in pill form or by going to a clinic to receive your chemo doses through an IV. You would sit there hooked up to the IV for a couple of hours and then you are good to go home until it is time for your next treatment.
As you can see, there are different approaches to cancer treatment. Things such as the specific type of cancer you have, as well as the stage it is in, will determine which method of treatment your doctor will want to try first. It is important to make sure that you are staying in touch with your doctor, that you are showing up for all of your cancer treatment appointments, and that you ask questions as you come up with them.
